The bag that had held my clothes was now empty, its contents neatly sorted and stored away in my simple, wooden wardrobe. Ressa let out a final, satisfied grunt as she closed the creaky doors, finishing her work by brushing a bit of dust from her dress.
She turned to , planting a hand on her hip. "All done! Sorry if that took a while!"
"I'm just glad you're back to your usual self," I said, a relieved smile tugging at my lips. Then, I spotted an opportunity to get so revenge. "But I'm not gonna lie, seeing that flustered side of you was quite a sight."
"Huh?!" Her eyes and lips twitched in unison. "I-It wasn't that obvious, was it?"
"Your face was redder than a tomato the entire ti."
"Seriously?!" She took a step back, then a slight blush rose to her cheeks as she covered her mouth with one hand. "P-Perhaps... a small part of really did like you, then..."
I blinked. "H-Huh?"
"Ha!" A sharp, triumphant scoff escaped her. "Totally got you there, didn't I?”
My face began to twitch uncontrollably.
"That's what you get for trying to tease ," she declared, pointing a finger. "Don't ever try that again without expecting consequences, you hear?"
Well, for better or worse, the real Ressa was unquestionably back.
"Anyway," she continued, her voice softening into a more genuine apology, "sorry again for all... that. Just following orders, you know? O-Oh, and also!" She leaned in, her expression turning pleading. "Please, please, please don't tell anyone at the mansion about this, 'kay? Especially not Lady Carine!"
Hmm... a bit too late for that, actually. A slow smile spread across my face as a wonderful new teasing opportunity presented itself.
"H-Hey, what's with that smile?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing in concern. "You're seriously not going to tell her, right? ...Right?!"
Before I could answer, a series of polite knocks echoed from the front door. My head turned instinctively toward the sound.
"Hah! Hiding your face from now, are you?" Ressa accused.
"A-Ah, it's not that," I said, turning back to her. "I think we have a guest.”
I should probably get to her before Dad does.
…
Welp, mission failed.
When I got into the main room, the door was already open, and Dad was already there.
“Feyt?! Seriously?! Another one?!” Dad shouted, his voice was a blend of utter shock and misplaced pride. His face was of genuine shock as his eyes flicked between and the pink-haired guest standing with a gentle smile at the open door.
“My apologies for the intrusion, Sir Rayn,” Eliza said, executing a flawless, polite bow. A small, elegant bag was held in her hands.
“S-Sir?!” Dad stuttered, visibly short-circuiting at the formal address, much like I did when she similarly called all the way back then.
Eliza reached into the bag and produced a bottle of wine. The deep amber liquid and ornate label scread expensive in more ways than one. She presented it to my father with both hands with a slight, professional tilt.
“A gift from our lord,” she explained smoothly. “He deeply wished to share a drink with you himself, but pressing matters made it impossible. He hopes this serves as a suitable token of his presence.”
“Your lord? You an, Kyrat…?” Dad was utterly srized, accepting the bottle with the gentle care one would use to hold a baby. "T-Thanks?"
I cleared my throat, stepping forward. “Miss Eliza! Welco back. Is everything settled at the inn?”
Eliza gave a nod. “Yes, there are plenty of vacant rooms, so securing a room for Ressa and was no trouble at all. Besides that, shall I help you unpack, Sir Feyt?”
“Actually, Ressa already took care of it,” I said, throwing a thumb over my shoulder. “And to be honest, I could really use so fresh air.”
After the emotional rollercoaster that maid put through, I needed any relaxation I could get. I even had Leila prepare , Carine, so extra soothing tea and a scheduled warm bath later.
Also, I didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like being in this small house with these two maids by my shoulders all the ti.
"Understood." Eliza’s smile was understanding. “In that case, shall I accompany you?”
“Sure," I agreed.
…
The three of us stepped out into the gentle afternoon sun, leaving the slightly awkward energy of my house behind.
The familiar sounds of village life—the distant clang of a hamr, a mother calling her child, a man struggling to get it out in a toilet—washed over . It was almost nostalgic how easily my ears invaded their privacy.
Eliza walked beside , her gaze softly but analytically taking in the simple wooden houses and the sprawling green fields. "So, this is where you grew up, Sir Feyt. It's a very peaceful place."
I nodded, sowhat proud. "Yeah. Nothing really out of the place ever happens here besides..." I trailed off, scratching my cheek. "Well, uhh, you know, besides the whole kidnapping incident.”
“I suppose so.” Eliza let out a soft chuckle.
Her eyes then drifted to Ressa, who was trailing a few steps behind us, kicking pebbles with her hands clasped behind her back, clearly a lot more lax than when we arrived.
"It seems soone is back to her usual self," Eliza noted. Then, her tone dipped into a murmur of concern. "Don't tell ... You already...?"
Ressa puffed her chest and flashed a triumphant grin, giving a sharp thumbs-up. "All done and dealt with! Mission accomplished!"
Eliza's smile turned into a gentle, weary sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ressa... that was supposed to be a long-term mission, you know?"
Long…term?
"Are you kidding?!" Ressa refuted, her arms pointed aggressively at Eliza. "There’s no way I can handle holding that in for a full week! I nearly threw myself into a lake from this day alone!"
A long-term mission… huh?
Putting things together, I guessed that ant she was supposed to try and win over the course of the week… I couldn’t even imagine what she would’ve tried had she gone through with it.
Eliza sighed again, this ti almost like a disappointed mother. "I suppose there's no helping it now. Very well, how did it go, then?" she asked as if I wasn’t right beside her.
"Oh, he is TOTALLY loyal to Lady Carine!" Ressa announced, beaming as if she'd just reported sothing she was proud of, "No doubt about it!"
I nearly kissed the ground from the ntal whiplash.
“I an, what else could I expect?” Ressa twirled her hair as she continued. “He was all like ‘Lady Carine would never do that!’, and he even had the gall to turn down gently! I have to say, a total gentleman, this one.”
I’m right here, you know?!
“E-Ehem!” I hastily cleared my throat. “I-I think you’re misunderstanding , Miss Ressa… I only rejected you because you looked like you were forcing yourself…”
“Oh, so you do like then?” she asked nonchalantly.
“Urk—!!”
She cornered again.
A gentle chuckle ca from Eliza. “Well, I’m just glad I was right about you, Sir Feyt.”
These two… They totally bought into the rumors now…
“Ah, right, Eliza?" Ressa piped up, a sudden thought striking her. "Why didn't the Duke give this mission to you? Wouldn't it make more sense for you to have 'fallen' for Feyt?"
"Ah, that…" Eliza's smile was placid. "The Duke did offer the mission first, but I turned it down.”
“You can do that?!” Ressa blurted out, a massive revelation unveiling before her.
Eliza nodded. “I added the excuse that Feyt probably sees as more of his older sister than anything, so I suggested that soone fresher in his acquaintance might give more authentic results."
“Tch!” Ressa clicked her tongue. “Didn’t know you were the type to give excuses to get out of work—Wait a minute…" Her eyes widened as she pointed an accusatory finger. "You were the one who recomnded , weren't you?!"
Eliza chuckled once more, her once gentle smile now seemingly wicked. “I wonder…”
“Oh, I’m so gonna—!!”
I didn’t even want to focus on their conversation anymore. I felt like a plaything more than a person right now.
As we continued our walk through the village I'd missed so much, a single, weird thought crossed my mind:
Maybe I should've just accepted the confession.
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